Unfinished Business
by frenziedpanda7
Summary: Shadi's actions have brought confusion and danger to Yugi and his friends. Someone has had enough of his interference.
1. Chapter 1

Unfinished Business

I'm running out of ways to say it, but I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. That will never change.

Chapter one: Duelist Kingdom

His memory was long.

From his dwelling place in the deepest shadows of his Pharaoh's mind, he sensed the intrusion. He heard the baseless accusation of theft leveled against his masters. An accusation born of the arrogant assumption that Yugi was a mere child, incapable of solving a puzzle thought unsolvable. Who _was_ this man who presumed to judge who was worthy to bear an Item?! And how had he obtained the Items he carried?

Important as the answers might seem to the servant, it was up to the master to ask the questions. By trespassing within the souls of Yugi and his Pharaoh, the intruder had given himself to Pharaoh's judgment. The challenge was accepted, the game begun. It was not his place to intervene.

The power of the Millennium Key enabled its bearer to see into the depths of another's soul. How unfortunate that its current holder had not sought its aid to examine his own soul, for it was the arrogance and overbearing pride within which led him straight into Pharaoh's final trap. That _should_ have been the end of the game…

But there was a tremendous strength within Yugi. A strength that had held back Pharaoh's anger and saved the life of his greatest rival to date, a strength that offered a hand to pull a stranger back from eternal darkness, the strength of compassion. But compassion combined with naivete was a dangerous thing. Even after all he'd experienced, Pharaoh's young vessel was still more trusting of strangers than he ought to be. Still, the resolve he displayed while commanding Pharaoh to end the game was admirable indeed. The little one was not to be trifled with.

The stranger's continued presence was disturbing. He had lost the game, his soul spared only by Yugi's kindness and Pharaoh's reluctance to upset his partner. So _why_ did the Key holder not depart? What _else _was he seeking?

There were many sealed doors within the maze of Pharaoh's mind. Behind those doors were memories waiting for the time when Pharaoh was ready to seek them out. And behind one door was an evil that waited for any opportunity to escape before Pharaoh could regain the strength to overcome it. Millennia ago, the essence of that evil had been split into two halves, one half imprisoned in the Puzzle, the other trapped within the Millennium Ring. Fate's perversity had recently brought the two Items together, allowing the evil within them a chance to escape into the mortal plane, a chance foiled all unknowingly by the bearer of the Ring. It would not do to have this new intruder's blundering enable _another _escape attempt!

Perhaps it would be best to bring them into the domain of Pharaoh's servants, that special place where he and the others of the deck dwelled close to the hearts of their masters, the better to watch over Yugi and ensure that the Key's bearer would do no more mischief. A door opened in silent invitation.

He watched and listened carefully as the two Item bearers traveled the hall of Ka tablets, the Key bearer speaking of a great war and the sealing of the shadows three thousand years before. _Three thousand years?_ Had it really been that long? Long enough, it seemed, for the death and despair caused by the accursed dark one to become the stuff of poorly remembered legend.

Yugi's wide-eyed wonder brought light and warmth to a heart worn down by the chill of the shadows. The young one's heart was close to his monsters. Well, it would be a treat indeed for him to be closer still, and the stranger would learn that Pharaoh's vessel was well protected.

Yugi's reaction was all he could wish for, though he was sorry that the brightness of his coming seemed to have hurt the little one's eyes. The Key bearer's fear was plain to behold as he backed away; surely now he would depart and trouble them no more!

But the fool's next words showed how futile that hope was. Was he so blinded by his own self-importance and the certainty that he knew all there was to know that he could not see that _he _was the danger threatening Yugi and Pharaoh? Could he not understand the damage that could be done by forcing two powerful monsters to fight within the shared soul of the Puzzle's bearer and its spirit?

It was in that instant that Yugi showed himself to be greater than all of them. Showing no fear, he ordered the Key bearer to abandon his attempt to summon the White Dragon in a tone that showed he expected to be obeyed. Then, he apologized for the intrusion. (As if _he _needed to ask for forgiveness!)

He had to fight the urge to smirk in triumph as he stood behind the little master, remaining just long enough for the stranger to finally understand that Yugi was truly the chosen of Pharaoh. He could sense Pharaoh's relief and Yugi's confusion as this stranger, this "Shadi," finally departed. For now, he would hold his peace, but he suspected they had not seen the last of him.

From his place in the heart of his masters, he would watch and listen. For his memory was long, and there was unfinished business between him and Shadi…

A/N This will be my first two part story. Part two will be posted within the next month, depending on how hectic real life gets.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: Battle City

The events in this chapter take place right before the events of "Message from the Darkness".

It was late on the Battle Ship. The lights had been dimmed duelists. Guests and most of the staff had retired for the night. The corridors and public areas had been given over to the shadows. The kitchen had been cleaned and readied for the next morning's breakfast service. Everything was as it should be except, perhaps, for the oddity of the bed situated in the middle of the large and well -stocked pantry.

The occupant of the bed was _not _a member of the kitchen staff, nor was the second figure seated at the foot of the bed. The whereabouts of the one was a subject of considerable concern to his fellow duelists, the presence of the other would have caused considerable astonishment to one particular duelist…

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The Ring Bearer was very weak. The wound in his arm had finally stopped bleeding, but he was in desperate need of rest and quiet. While it was unlikely that the demon within Marik would think to seek out the Thief's vessel (no doubt believing him lost to the shadows) ,the Ring's former bearer thought it best to find the young one a refuge less likely to be discovered. He would need food when he awoke as well, and there was food in abundance here, a cornucopia that rivaled the storerooms of Pharaoh's old palace.

The boy's resemblance to the thief was uncanny. His hands had the delicacy of a scribe, the cleverness of a master craftsman. The thief's people had been the builders and artisans of the tombs of the pharaohs, the accusations of theft against them never really proven. Could the thief have grown to be like this one if not for the Items? Only the gods would know. The cursed Items had brought so much suffering to so many down through the millennia.

Though he himself had not held the Ring in the three thousand years since a lowborn thief had proven himself the rightful bearer, he still had a tenuous connection to its magic, as well as to the Ring's youngest bearer. While his loyalty to Pharaoh and Yugi would always come before all others, he still felt pity and concern for the thief's unfortunate vessel. Foolish as the attempt had been, the thief _had_ tried to stop the demon. The least he could do to repay him was to keep this boy from suffering the penalty of a game he'd had no part of.

Even as he cast protective wards around the pantry, his magic warned him that yet another Item bearer was close by. The Item now in use was borne by one who had already caused his masters considerable trouble,.No, worse still, if the Lady Ishizu was to be believed (and he had no cause to doubt the tale she had told his masters). The fool's lies and slander against Pharaoh had put them all in terrible danger. He had sensed Pharaoh's shock and grief that such cruelty had been done in his name. The name he no longer knew. He had been helpless to comfort Yugi as he wept in the darkness. And the Key bearer DARED to suggest this was the will of Pharaoh?!? Perhaps it was time for a talk with Shadi…

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There was a man coming toward him. One of Kaiba's security staff by the look of him, though the man's great height was noteworthy as was the elegant walking stick. No matter, the Key's magic would render him invisible to human eyes.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Shadi stopped abruptly. There was _no _way the man could have seen him! Perhaps he was speaking to another..?

"_You,_sir. May I see your I.D.?"

So the man _was _speaking to him! His hand was moving to grasp the Key when the voice sounded coldly in his mind. "I _can_ see you, Shadi. Your magic is nothing to me."

A magic that could negate the magic of the Items was powerful indeed. Powerful and very dangerous, yet if he moved swiftly enough , maybe he could still enter the room of the man's soul. There was something familiar about him, something in his eyes…

Shadi held out the Key as the man closed the distance between them. But as he began to summon the Key's magic, he was hurled violently back down the corridor as the stranger backhanded him savagely across the face.

"Nor will your Item be of any use to you. Perhaps-" the stranger 's smile was chilling.-" you would be better served if you could draw a good card."

Draw a card!? What could that mean!? Was this man a duelist? There should only be the eight Battle City finalists on the ship, Shadi thought as he crawled back onto his knees. He looked up into other's eyes and froze.

He knew. He knew now where he had encountered this man. "But this is not possible!" he thought wildly. "This is a creature of shadow! This _cannot _be!"

"I walk in the mortal realm as easily as I walk in the shadows, Key Bearer." Shadows swirled about the most legendary of Pharaoh's servants, changing the tailored black suit into the royal purple robes and armor of the Dark Magician. "Not all who have faced me have done so in a duel. This is the second time we meet, Shadi, and I would that there be no need for a third meeting!"

The Key Bearer got carefully to his feet. He thought back to the legends of his people. Those legends stated that this creature had been the most powerful of Pharaoh's shadow monsters, answering only to Pharaoh, but still bound to the shadows, needing a summons-

"Your legends are…incomplete at best." Again, the creature knew his thoughts! "I am no mindless shade, acting only on the orders of another. My service to Pharaoh and his chosen vessel is given freely by my own choice. In duels, I must act as any other card, true enough, but mind me well, Shadi , _this_ is not a duel, and I will not permit you to bring more harm to Pharaoh or his friends!"

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_Harm to the pharaoh?!?_ The Key Bearer was jolted by the accusation. How could he have done any harm? All he had done his entire life had been in the service of the one whose return his people had awaited for millennia. It was his task to guard the Sacred Items, to test the worthiness of those who would claim those Items. He had put Yugi to the test and found him to be the true chosen of Pharaoh. The creature now confronting him had been the final proof of that. Now, he had come to serve Pharaoh in this new battle as was his destiny. What had he done wrong?

NO! NO! He WAS the chosen guardian! It was his task to serve and guide-

Once again, the angry voice of Pharaoh's servant roared through his mind. "Chosen, Key Bearer? _Who _chose you for these tasks? My pharaoh does not know you. He knows not his own self! And this great service you and your people have done, how many children through the ages have been scarred and branded in the name of this _'SERVICE'!!? _ The one called Marik has been driven to madness and murder, and YOU tell him it is the will of Pharaoh! " A hand, inhumanly powerful, seized him by the throat and lifted him off his feet. "Yugi and his friends are now in terrible danger, and this world may soon be swallowed in darkness beyond mortal comprehension. How does this serve pharaoh, Shadi? Look me in the face and tell me; HOW DOES THIS SERVE MY PHARAOH???"

Even as he struggled to answer, to justify his actions, another presence swept into his mind. A presence that blotted out all else, its words mocking his purpose, his very existence-

"_**My purpose, you fool! All you have done, all you have been, has served ME!! Now that the Items are in one place, I have no further need of you!"**_

And darkness swept over him…

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The magician's eyes narrowed. Did the Key Bearer truly believe his questions unworthy of answers? For the moment, it seemed reason had been driven from the fool's head. The eyes were unseeing, empty… Wait, _not _empty! Something was stirring within them,something dark beyond darkness. The mouth opened, releasing words wrapped in the stench of terror and despair and souls torn and twisted, still unable to find rest.

"**It serves my purpose well enough, Priest."**

Three thousand years in the shadows would not erase the memory of _that _voice! The rending jaws of Ammit herself would not free his soul of it! His people had given countless lives to fight this horror. He and the thief had cast away all hope of the afterlife to stop it. Pharaoh had sacrificed his name, his very self to seal it away. But again the darkness had found another tool. All their efforts seemed doomed to failure.

He shoved the Key Bearer away and gathered his magic. Shadi's presence meant _all_ the Items were gathered in one place, and the enemy surely would use their combined power to break free of his imprisonment.

But there might yet be once last chance to stop it.

He paused as an idea began to form. His power had grown during his time in the shadows, far beyond that of any mortal mage. He would use all of it in one final service to his pharaoh. It would be a simple thing to channel his power to the engines of this airship, overloading them and blowing the ship and all within it, including the Items into oblivion.

Wait… _would _that work?

Yes! Yes, of course. It had to. A quick painless death and blessed afterlife for those on the ship to ensure the safety of an entire world- surely the gods would forgive him…

He felt the power surge through him, almost of its own accord. He felt the heat of the flames…

Flames…?

_He felt the heat of the flames. His nostrils were filled with the stench of burning flesh. His ears rang with the anguished screams of men and women, the terrified wails of children. His gaze darted away from the profane ritual, finding a small unnoticed crevice in the rock wall. One of the children had been missed by the solders, a boy of perhaps eight years, with the pale hair of a foreigner and huge eyes in a pinched face. _

"_Run! Run, child! Flee this place before they find you! Go!!"_

And the child vanished. But now others appeared before him, Kaiba, fighting so fiercely for the life and soul of the brother who adored him, Mokuba, who never lost faith in his beloved big brother, Jonouchi overcoming seemingly impossible odds to help his sister and protect his friends, Ryou, condemning himself to a life of loneliness rather than risk harm to strangers and finally, his young master so kind, so trusting…

"_**Destroy them, priest!"**_

The shadow mage reeled when he heard the voice again at last, the one goading his thoughts. He realized, perhaps too late, what was happening, abhorred at the realization of what he-no, what the _demon- _had nearly done.

Might still do… if he could not regain control!

"_**Sacrifice them all for the greater good, even as your kinsman sacrificed the people of Kul Elna for the 'good' of the kingdom!"**_ The foul voice in his head laughed in spiteful triumph, goading him with the memory of his family's greatest shame._** "Destroy them, and let their deaths unleash unending night!!!"**_

"_NO!! NO!! GET OUT OF MY MIIIIND!!!"_

The shadow mage roared in agony, desperately trying to rein in the full destructive power of his magic. "Gods of the Two Lands, HELP ME-"He could see the smirk on the Key Bearer's lips, the Dark One watching him fight for control… All at once, without conscious thought, he aimed his staff at Shadi. Shadow Magic blasted the Key Bearer, once, twice, then once more before the mage fell hard on his knees utterly spent.

He had no way of knowing how much time had passed. Surely the battle would have roused _someone _to investigate? But no, the corridor remained silent and empty. Pausing to give thanks to whichever gods had answered his plea, he dragged himself over to the unmoving form of the Key Bearer.

"Shadi? "He shook him, hard. No response. "Key Bearer!"The heart did not beat, the lungs did not draw breath… yet suddenly, the eyes opened, searching his face.

"The voice, the Dark One…?"

" Is gone, for now. But you, Shadi- what _are _you?"

"While I lived, I was the bearer of the Millennium Key, but for these past five years, I have been the _spirit _trapped within the Millennium Key…

A/N Just one more chapter to go!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The world of his birth was no more. The palaces and temples were ruins half buried in the sands, the works of his people mere curiosities displayed in foreign countries.

But the stars remained. He stood quietly at the windows of the airship, gazing into the night sky. He saw the Ikhemu-Seku, the "Stars That Never Fail", where dwelled the Pharaohs of old. And Sopdet, which men now called Sirius the Dogstar, its rising heralding the beginning of akhet, the season of the inundation.

The Key Bearer moved closer to the window, but took care to remain just out of arms reach. "What do you see?" he asked.

"The stars." He gazed outward a moment more, then turned away. "This world is strange indeed, Key Bearer, but the stars at least are almost as I remember."

"Yo-you are not like the other creatures of the shadows-"

"I think, Shadi, you know very little about those of us who dwell in the shadows." He studied the Key Bearer for several moments, then gave voice to his suspicions. "It was Bakura who sealed your soul into the Key, was it not?"

" Bakura? I know of no one called Bakura."

"The spirit within the Ring, he has taken the name of his vessel. We never knew his true name. Even _he _may no longer remember it. Tell me now, Shadi, what have your people to do with the Items? You claim to be Pharaoh's servant, but your very presence has brought naught but grief and danger. And _why _were you sealed within the Key? Did you, perhaps, attempt to claim the Ring for yourself?"

The frightened look in Shadi's eyes told the Magician that he had indeed guessed correctly. And it was plain that the Key Bearer was far more accustomed to judging others than he was to being judged. "If you _truly _wish to serve Pharaoh, Shadi, speak plainly and truthfully! Ammit's judgment will be far harsher than mine if your words cause further harm."

"For uncounted generations, my people have watched over the Items. We were commanded to remain hidden from the world guarding the Key, the Rod, the Eye, the Scales, the Necklace and the Ring, waiting for the return of the Pharaoh."

" What about the Puzzle, Key Bearer? Your people never had it, did they? They were to wait for the one chosen to reassemble the Puzzle and release Pharaoh's soul, were they not? The Items themselves would have given signs when the Puzzle was whole once more. Your task was to bring _all_ the Items to the Chosen One, then take him to the Tablet of Memories. But when the time came, you could not do this because you no longer had all the Items! How did this come to pass?"

"How-how can you know these things?! You are not of the clan of Tomb-Keepers! You are not even of this world-"

The Shadow Mage's smile was devoid of all humor. "I walked this world in mortal flesh when the Items were first created. As my pharaoh and the thief were sealed into their Items, so too were I and certain others sealed into the shadows. Your people believe they know the history of the Items, Shadi, but I say this now, much of what you think you know is _wrong_." His gaze hardened. "I will ask you once more, how did the Ishtars come to possess the Rod and the Necklace? And _why _did the thief seal you into the Key?" His staff swung around to point directly at the Key, making it plain that no further prevarication would be tolerated.

Shadi realized he had exhausted the shadow creature's patience. "There was disagreement among the elders of the Tomb Keeper Tribe. Those of the Ishtar clan argued that to have all the Items in one place was dangerous, and that the guardianship of the Items should be divided up among all the clans. The elders of the other clans did not agree, for as you surmised, it was indeed our task to present _all _the Items to the chosen of Pharaoh. This disagreement caused a great schism in our tribe, and finally the Ishtar Clan left the tribe in the dark of night, stealing away the Rod and the Necklace and also the Tablet of Memory.

"Those Items that remained were kept in the ancient stone within the old temple ruins near my village, and I was chosen to be keeper of the shrine. It was in the shrine that the 'voice' first spoke to me…"

" Even then, the dark one sought for one he could twist to his own ends," the mage realized. "It seems the Ishtars were correct that the Items could not safely remain together. Being split between the Ring and the Puzzle will not keep him from using the power of the other Items to do harm. What did the 'voice' tell you, Shadi?"

"In- in the deepest night, I would hear the voice in my mind, warning me of those that would seek out the Items, to gain power over others. After many nights, I decided to keep the Items on my person, to hide them from treasure seekers. The Key and the Scales yielded to my will, so the tribe accepted my reasoning, or so I thought. But, it seems that even then I was being used, and I was not the only one.

"Though our tribe was commanded to remain apart from the outside world, it was necessary for some to live among the outsiders, to trade for goods the tribe needed and to watch for the coming of the chosen one. Yet there was always the risk that those among the outsiders would come to desire the things of the outer world and forsake their duty to Pharaoh.

"It was one such that was apprehended attempting to steal the ring. The thief was brought to me for judgment, and I used the key to find the truth of his soul…"

Shadi fell silent, unwilling or perhaps unable to continue. For the former Ring Bearer, it no longer mattered, he knew enough of the thief king that he could finish the tale himself. He gazed down at the Key bearer, pity mixed with contempt.

" Did you plan all along to condemn that unfortunate soul and take the Ring for yourself, Shadi? What a surprise it must have been to find yet _another _presence within the Ring! One who does not tolerate interference with his hosts. So you told the Spirit of the Ring that you only wished to guard the items, and maybe you truly believed this. But he sensed an untruth within you, perhaps even the taint of the dark one, and challenged you to a shadow game. Did you truly think you would win that game? Your arrogance was your undoing, Shadi. The thief chose a fitting penalty indeed, binding you to your Item just as we are bound. You wished to be master of the Items, now your Item has mastered you, an undead needing the power of the Key to move about in the world. And _still _you dare to sit in judgment of others." The magician sighed tiredly. " I will not move against you,Shadi. The darkness used you as it has used so many others- even I came too close to doing its bidding. What happens hereafter is in the hands of the Gods. Leave now and wait for word from my pharaoh. If he survives this trial, he will seek you out and claim the Items you hold."

"I will go, but…will there be an end to this curse? Will I - will any of us be free?"

"That also is for the Gods to decide. Go, Shadi, our business here is finished."

The Key bearer departed. But, it seemed he himself would not rest just yet- he sensed another within the Puzzle…

"_Dammit, where is that priest?!"_

"_I am here, Bakura."_

The end


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